Get Apple Music on iOS, Android, Mac and Windows

EDITORS’ NOTES

Two members of Neck Deep lost their fathers after releasing 2015’s Life’s Not Out to Get You. Understandably then, this is a follow-up that asks some big questions, setting them to a soundtrack of punchy, quicksilver riffs and gripping hooks. At a fittingly careening pace, “Happy Judgement Day” wonders if the world is hurtling into oblivion, but the prevailing message here is to greet life head-on, embodied by the invigorating rush of “Motion Sickness” and “Where Do We Go When We Go.”

EDITORS’ NOTES

Two members of Neck Deep lost their fathers after releasing 2015’s Life’s Not Out to Get You. Understandably then, this is a follow-up that asks some big questions, setting them to a soundtrack of punchy, quicksilver riffs and gripping hooks. At a fittingly careening pace, “Happy Judgement Day” wonders if the world is hurtling into oblivion, but the prevailing message here is to greet life head-on, embodied by the invigorating rush of “Motion Sickness” and “Where Do We Go When We Go.”

TITLE

TIME

Motion Sickness

3:26

Happy Judgement Day

3:33

The Grand Delusion

3:27

Parachute

3:41

In Bloom

3:40

Don't Wait (feat. Sam Carter)

3:18

Critical Mistake

3:16

Wish You Were Here

4:08

Heavy Lies

3:30

19 Seventy Sumthin'

3:58

Where Do We Go When We Go

3:37

About Neck Deep

Welsh pop-punks Neck Deep formed in 2012 as the D.I.Y. project of singer Ben Barlow and guitarist Lloyd Roberts. After testing the water with a couple of self-released online tracks, they issued their first EP, Rain in July, in late 2012. Part of the wave of pop-punk revival acts, Neck Deep cited influences like Fall Out Boy, New Found Glory, and Sum 41, offering an updated version of the genre's classic sound. Wanting to expand their capabilities, Barlow and Roberts enlisted friends from the local scene to complete their lineup. Matt West joined on guitar, Fil Thorpe-Evans became their bassist, and Dani Washington joined as drummer. Their second EP, 2013's A History of Bad Decisions, garnered enough attention to bring them to the U.S. for their first international shows, where they caught the attention of several major labels. Neck Deep signed with Hopeless Records in August 2013 and, just a few months later in January 2014, issued their debut, Wishful Thinking. The album was well-received and they spent much of 2014 touring the U.K. and the U.S. supporting bands like We Are the In Crowd and Knuckle Puck, and joining the Vans Warped Tour for a stint. Their sophomore LP, Life's Not Out to Get You, arrived in August 2015. The record garnered widespread acclaim, from both fans and critics alike, with particular praise from Daniel P. Carter of the BBC Radio One Rock Show. After promoting the record on a worldwide tour and a lineup change (Roberts was replaced by Climates and Blood Youth guitarist Sam Bowden) Neck Deep returned with their third studio effort, The Peace and the Panic, in the summer of 2017. ~ Timothy Monger